I don't think you understand how a soap-and-oil spray works. It only kills the insects that have actually been coated with it. If you don't spray it on, say, a ladybug, that bug will not be harmed. I don't know how much a deterrent it is once it's on the plant if it's just plain soap and oil with no garlic (see below.) It's true that while I'm spraying for spider mites, I can get some lacewings, but quite frankly, if the lacewings had been doing their jobs, I wouldn't have spider mites! The garlic is supposed to repel spider mites and aphids. I don't know if it does, but it definitely doesn't repel ladybugs, mantises and bees. It definitely DOES repel mosquitoes. There is an organic anti-mosquito spray on the market made only from super-concentrated garlic that is very effective for mosquitoes but has been proven to be harmless to all beneficial bugs, bees and birds.

And would like to add that I just went to 2 different nurseries after posting the above post and all they sold was 24-8-16. So, if someone would be so kind as to tell me what would be the best way to break this 24-8-16 down and how often to give it, it would be greatly appreciated. What would be the best breakdown? Currently I have 24-8-16 and a box of bloom booster 15-30-15. Also, while at the nursery I spotted Super Bloom, 12-55-6. As far as the bloom booster, which of the two do you recommend as well? I hope someone can help me. Thanks so much.

Hi Tony, Thanks for coming in..appreciate this. I was going to spray tomorrow, now won't.. was so afraid the spray would ruin all the leaves, suppose to be three digits monday, not sure if what I have is white flys or garden gnats, never seen white flys. So many of them in the air, all over the leaves, frustrating WAs so afraid they would hurt my babies, these are in the ground, 7 of them doing well. These are the ones that had such problems in the heat, have all came back with gusto. Ok..now Question...I have thick coco hulls on the ground, not around the plants, put the hulls down a couple weeks ago for weed control, its a 10' x 10' area, might this be pulling the flies just heavy the last couple weeks?. so many of them! should I remove the hulls? thanks ..ohh.. did your pacific pearl bloom, did you get a multi-color one? hope. Karen

There is often debate over whether it's necessary to filter a pond, and always a few people who claim they have great luck with letting the pond "go natural" with no human interference. A man-made pond, though, is not a natural environment, and will only benefit from some form of filtration or at least aeration. Filtering keeps the water cleansed of organic wastes that can cause cloudy, smelly, murky, or even toxic water. It simplifies maintenance, conserves water by cleansing and recycling it, and can help create "gin-clear" water that allows optimal viewing of the pond and its inhabitants. If you plan on creating a water garden and keeping only plants in the pond, you should be able to get away with little or no filtration, depending upon the type and number of plants you grow. A small pump used with a spitter, fountain, waterfall, or similar feature, should create enough movement to keep the water from stagnating, and diligence in keeping dead plant life from accumulating in the water will help maintain water clarity. However, most people find that, once they've created the pond, they want to add fish, and this is when filtration becomes vital. The more fish you have, the more filtration is necessary to keep the water and the fish healthy. Fish produce ammonia from both their gills and kidneys. Ammonia is also produced from other organic matter decaying in the pond. Whatever the source, ammonia is toxic to fish and must be removed from the water. Frequent water changes and ammonia binding water conditioners will help temporarily, but the addition of a biological filter is the best and easiest way to deal with this toxin. Briefly, a biofilter works by creating a suitable living environment for certain types of bacteria which do the cleaning for you. As pond water is slowly pumped though the biofilter, Nitrosomonas bacteria consume the ammonia, turning it into nitrites (which are also harmful to fish.) Nitrobacter bacteria then oxidizes the nitrites into nitrates, which become food for the plants in your pond. Although these "good bacteria" are present on every surface in your pond, they are not usually there in large enough numbers to reliably cleanse the water of these compounds that are so deadly to fish, and so biofiltration is strongly recommended when there are fish in the pond. Mechanical filtration (that which removes solid waste) is always beneficial, but simply keeping the water clear of solids does not guarantee fish-safe water. Ammonia and nitrites can not be seen except through the use of water test kits. Ideally, water will first pass through some type of mechanical filter that removes solids prior to entering the biofilter, where the toxic compounds are oxidized to nitrates and sent back to the pond where the nitrates will be absorbed by the plants therefore keeping the pond healthy for both your fish and plants. These beneficial bacteria cease to function at temperatures below fifty degrees, so running the biofilter all winter is futile if you're in a cold winter area. The fish will not be eating and producing their usual amount of waste during the winter, so the biofilter will not be needed anyway. Once the autumn temperatures are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, clean and store the biofilter until spring returns. If you're lucky enough to live in a warm climate, it should be kept running year round. Start the filter up again in the spring as the temperatures get into the upper 40s to low 50s. The nitrogen cycle takes about four to six weeks to establish once the bacteria begin colonizing in the warmer temperatures, so be diligent about testing your water for ammonia and nitrites if the fish are eating. It would take far too many pages to describe here all the types of filters available. Research and ask questions of more experienced ponders, and join several of the informative forums on the Internet. Do not always believe a manufacturer's advertisements, and if tempted to buy something being touted by a salesperson, research it before making an investment. There are many plans for do-it-yourself filters that are simple to make, produce excellent results, and are much less expensive than most of the commercial filters available. And remember - you can never have too large a biofilter! Ronaye, Steve and David